Nindroid Napped
by dixicorn
Summary: After the Overlord was defeated there was supposed to be peace. And there was. Until one night out of the blue, Zane's kidnapped and brought between worlds. A case of extreme fangirlism? Or something a bit more sinister? Whatever the case it's up to Kai, Jay, and Cole to get to the bottom of this before they too vanish.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a notebook. The rest is Lego's.**

_There is a teenage girl dashing through the bounty. Her breath comes in short spurts, her heart pounding. She can barely see her hand in front of her. It's too dark for that, the mist rolling off the deck blocking any source of light the night hasn't already swallowed. But the girl doesn't care. She's too excited for that, too pumped up on adrenaline to even worry about such petty things._

_And the man in the purple suit said it'd be okay._

_She's found the door, although it's more like she ran face first into it. Her hands fumble at the knob, yellow clamp-like things so unlike her own. The door pushes open with little to no give, just like he said it would. The man with the purple suit. Just thinking about it clouds her mind. She smiles a little, then slips inside._

_The light is on. It flickers slightly, like Morse code telling her to go on. So the girl breaks into a trot, jogging down the hallway, peering through portholes. Bridge. Bathroom. Kitchen. But then she finds it, the room at the end of the hall. She sees their sleeping forms. Four colors. Red. Blue. White. Black. The fifth color is gone, the man said he was on vacation with his uncle and parents. But that's alright. She's not here for the green one._

_The only thing on her mind is her cousin. She's really the only reason she's here. It's her birthday, her favorite show, her gift. She'll light up when she sees what she's gotten. It's been a while since she's seen Victoria smile. Then again, it's been a while since she's seen her best cousin._

_She brushes the thought away. She's getting distracted again. All that matters is getting inside. Getting him. _

_The door opens with a creak. She slips inside, leaving it ajar. The light from the hall creeps in, a thin sliver of light reflected onto the floor. It's just enough to see by. The girl smiles again, putting one foot in front of another. She can't allow herself to be heard. The second she's seen, the whole plot falls apart. But that's okay. Boys are strong sleepers. They won't notice a thing. And even if they do, the man mixed her up a nice little concoction that'l do the trick. He called it Venomari Venom. She thinks it's more like a mix of pepper spray, and tear gas, with a little bit of ghost pepper. There's enough of it to make a grown man cry._

_The whole room is snoring. Four bunk beds full of boys. The one in blue rolls over, his arm flapping in front of her path. Her eyes widen and she freezes, staring at his face. Thankfully the only thing that's open is his mouth, a thin trickle of drool dripping onto his pillow. She shudders and backs off, accidentally running into one of the beds._

_There's a '_huh'_ and she whirls around, pulling out the venom. It swishes around in a squirt bottle, the kind you use on cats. The liquid's acid green. She swears it glows in the dark a little. She points it at the red one, who's rubbing his eyes and blinking, but the nozzle's stuck. He starts to say something but in desperation she throws it at him and hits him in the shoulder. _

_Then she scrambles up the ladder, where the white one sleeps. The girl can see why Victoria likes him. He's cute. But there's time to admire her catch later. She can hear the red one moving below. So she rips open his panel, and plugs in the purple flash drive. The one the man said to put in. His eyes flutter his mouth forms a word, but then the flash drive kicks in and she watches his eyes flash purple then dull. She grabs his hand, and skipping the ladder entirely, leaps off the side of the bed. She gets ready to run, but the red one is in the way and she can hear the others wake up._

_'Damn." She thinks, and before he can act, kicks him in the soft spot and pushes past. She runs, the white one following almost in a daze, slamming the door in the red one's face. She picks up the pace, breaking into a full on sprint as he slams it open, shouting. Screaming. She doesn't dare look back. She knows what she'll see._

_Finally! The door at the end. She wrenches it open and darts onto the deck, red, black and blue following close behind. The fog has cleared somewhat, and she swears again. She was hoping it would provide more of a cover. _

_Up ahead, there's the soft glow of purple, and the girl almost smiles out of sheer joy. She can hear them catching up, she bets they could even touch her. In a spurt of adrenaline and panic, she leaps forward into the portal, just in time. It closes behind them, her last glimpse of the ship's deck revealing three little ninja, panting. Staring. Screaming._

_Screaming the white one's name._

_"Zane!"_

_Before they swirl out of sight._

* * *

><p><strong>AN ****Oh. Look who's come crawling back to the ninjago fandom. Oh well, This is a rewrite of something I wrote a year and a half ago. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 1: Concerning Portals and

**Chapter 1: Concerning Portals and Their Symptoms.**

**Disclaimer: All of the Characters listed are the property of Lego, and Lego alone. I'm nothing but a writer.**

_**Kai**_

_**Day: 1**_

_**Time: Approximately Three forty-five in the morning.**_

_**Hours since disappearance: Two.**_

Kai remembered it like it was yesterday.

_His sister, lifted into the air by a claw. The creature, a warrior knitted from bones, laughing wildly. It's eyes glowed red, gloating as four shoulders heaved rapidly. The look on Nya's face, contorted in fear yet still shouting his name. The look of his own as he watched, helpless. Unable to do more than scream. Unable to lift even a hand._

And now it was his brother who had vanished.

It was that same feeling, that same helpless shock, like getting the breath knocked right out of him. Except... in the end, Nya had gotten rescued. He'd had the help of three new siblings at arms, and a teacher for most of it.

What did he have?

_'Two brothers left. A sister that loves you more than anything.'_ A part of him whispered, but Kai brushed it back.

_'I've got to get him back.'_

Another memory flashed by.

_The six of them, from the time Lloyd was still their enemy. They were standing in the ashes of their old home. He'd grown to love it, despite the fact it replaced 'Four Weapons'. It hadn't been Zane's fault. Not Zane's. Not the falcon's. Kai'd known that, they all had, but it had been his lead that had sent them flying off on their dragons. So they had turned on him, placing the blame of the Serpentine attack on him._

_And before Kai knew it, Zane was gone. At the time, they'd thought it was because he'd run away. Untill he came back. With a new home._

The Bounty swayed beneath him, as he stared at darkness through half squinted eyes. How could he even think about sleep? His brother was gone! His family torn apart again! His own bricking sister should have understood. Waiting till the morning? As if.

He sat up so forcefully that he whacked his head on the bed above him. "Ow..."

Kai swung his legs over the side and began to walk carefully out the room and into the bridge. Each step made his heart pound. Nya would kill him if she found out. The very thought sending shivers down his back.

Step...

Step...

Creaaaaaaaak.

He froze mid-step, looking around wildly. The hall was empty. Thank Spinjitsu. He kept walking.

_'He didn't try to struggle. Why not?'_

Kai reached the door, slipping outside onto the deck. The moon hung over him, barely a crescent.

_'Could he have gone willingly?'_ He gulped the night air, eyes scanning the Bounty's deck for something. Anything that could help.

_'There's no way! Zane would never even think about leaving without a warning.'_ Nothing. It was far too dark to see. He scowled and ran up the steps,the shortcut to the bridge.

_'Has he been acting strange? I can't remember. I haven't noticed.'_ Light poured from the window. Had he left the light on? Had someone else? He opened the door anyways, eyes squinting from the sudden light change.

There was a crash.

And a yelp.

"About time."

"Jeez Kai, don't scare us like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

He blinked the light out of his eyes. Two blurs, blue and black. Like bruises. "Cole? Jay?"

Cole grinned. He was pounding something into the computer, a cup of coffee sitting next to him. Steaming. "What type of leader would I be if I did nothing?"

"Buhh but Nya!" He spat out. Jay handed him a mug, and he took it, numb.

"What about me?" Nya said. He hadn't seen her from where she stood, gazing up at the screen. There was a radar showing the ship, the space around it empty.

"I... ah- nothing." He said quickly.

"Close the door please. You're letting cold air in." His sister said, not missing a beat.

Kai shut the door behind him, and chugged down his drink like his life depended on it. It scalded his throat and burned the taste buds off of his tongue. Then he placed it next to the monitor. "Have you had any luck?"

"So far the the scanners have picked up nothing." Cole said. "He's not in Ninjago."

"Not in Ninjago? What do you mean?" He asked.

"Exactly what he meant. Whatever...kidnapped him-" Nya began.

"Nindroid napped!" Jay corrected. Kai shot him a look cold enough to freeze the Fire Temple. "Sorry." He said quickly.

"Nindroid napped." Nya said. She smiled a little when she said it, and tried to stifle a giggle. "Took him somewhere else."

"What do the data banks say about portals?" Jay asked. They stared at him. He sounded so serious, it was almost out of character. Kai had forgotten that under that layer of bad puns was actual factual intellect.

Without realizing it, he'd gone and walked over to the computer. His fingers were already dancing on top of the keys. _'How out of it am I? Nevermind. This isn't the time to be thinking deep, Kai. What do we know about portals?'_

"'_Most often taking the form of swirling color, portals are gateways to places not accessable by normal everyday needs. These gateways occur very rarely in nature, usually when the very essence of time and space is torn and or ripped. Overexposing one's self to portals can cause nausea, hallucinations, fainting, confusion, the tendency to act as though you've consumed mass amounts of alcoholic beverages, the temporary belief that you are a duck, the temporary transformation into a duck, amnesia, strange cravings involving frosting covered ham, mood swings, and rarely (but not in all cases) being put into a coma. Other symptoms may include a temporary loss in-'_" Kai began.

"Can you skip to the part where it mentions how actually to track one?" Nya said. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah. Sure." Kai said. He skimmed over the wall of text feeling strangely light-headed.

"Wait go back." Jay whined. "I wanna hear about the other symptoms."

"Jay!" He said. Yep. There it was.

"I just wanna know what we're getting into." Jay whined, but Kai noticed he shut up after that.

"Blindness, Jay. You go blind temporarily." Kai said flatly, but the corners of his mouth curled up. "Now,_ 'A portal created less than twenty-four hours after a previous one in the same spot, can teleport you to the exact destination the one before led to. Now, this may increase chances of actually getting some of the symptoms before'_ yada yada yada, duck transformation, mood swings, loss of eyesight. And then it goes on to talk about some '_Isa A. Wyrmhol'_ who apparently was the first person to write about them."

"What about how to make them?" Nya asked. She sounded excited. He smiled, despite himself.

"I'm getting to that. apparently there are three known ways, dragon-"

"Sensei took the mega-dragon." Someone muttered.

Kai frowned. "The Four Weapons of Spinjitzu-"

"Shot into space."

Kai frowned even more. "And _Traveller's Tea_."

"Where are we gonna find that?" Jay whined.

"I don't know!" He snapped. "Ask Cole. He's the brickin' leader here." All eyes were upon him.

"Kai..."Nya said slowly.

He took a deep breath. "Sorry." He said, then "Jay's right. How're we gonna find _Traveller's Tea_ before twenty-four hours are up?"

"Sensei's Tea supply?" Nya tried.

They all froze. "Nya! You're a genius!" Jay shouted.

Nya blushed. "Thanks, but it wasn't that clever."

They all ran out of the room, making a beeline for Sensei's Tea Cabinet like anyone who'd just eaten Cole's chili to the bathroom. Kai made it first, rummaging through the supply. He grabbed the pots, reading their labels, sniffing their contents, tossing them aside. There was a small pile at his feet.

'Hurry up Kai. Zane's depending on you!' He'd gotten through chamomile, orange citrus, blackberry sage, mint and earl gray by the time the others had started to dive in as well.

"I've got through the Oolong tea selection!" Cole shouted.

"White Tea's searched." Kai said, and tossed aside some 'Youthberry Blend.'

"What category would '_Traveller's Tea_' be under anyways?" Nya asked.

"Herbal?" Kai shrugged. "They all kinda smell the same to me."

"Found it!" Cole shouted. Kai dropped the pot he was holding, the contents smashing onto the floor and sending a wave of herbal scents. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him after Cole, who'd darted through the hall. He grabbed his sword on the way, and pulled up the hood of his ninja suit.

His feet pounded against wood, a small smile forming on his lips forming into a full on grin. He swung aside the door, not bothering to close it after it slammed to the side. Night air whooshed past him, and the hairs on his head stood up. Because there it was, a swirling mass of purple and pink weaved into the night sky like a foreign galaxy. He knew instantly what is was. The portal. The Gateway to Zane.

He saw Cole dart into it, then Jay and he broke into a run, untill his feet were slapping the ground in mere seconds. It started to close, and fear slashed through him, his heart pounding. Any second it would swirl tight. Any second his lungs would burst as well. But then a fresh wave of adrenaline roared through him like a forest fire, as he gathered up his energy for one last leap.

Kai shoved himself forward, a rocket ready to launch, a volcano about to explode._ 'You can make it! You can make it!'_ He squeezed his eyes shut, barely noticing something shoved into his hands, and the whisper of his sister's voice.

"Good luck Kai."

It was the last thing he heard before diving forward. He felt the rush of air, and the vaugely uncomfortable feeling of tumbling uncontrollably. His last coherent thought before his body slammed onto the gravel?

"I'm coming for you Zane."

* * *

><p><strong>AN A few things of little to no importance until I get to what matters.**

**I had half a mind to title this 'In which our hero starts his journey for the One Piece- er Zane' but I figured the reference would be lost. Sigh... But anyways, while I was writing this, my Pandora went on a mind reading rampage and started playing 'I will find you by Moya Brennan and 'My only, My own' by Heather Dale which really helped with the mood. Of course afterwards it shifted to Scarring Party and 'Tongues and Teeth' by Crane Wives which didn't help a bit. (Except for amusing me greatly.)**

**Alright. What matters. I had a bit of trouble with starting out this chapter. It's a bit stiff., but my greatest fear is that everyone is OOC. I would love love love you guys to death if you could give me some good Constructive Criticism to help me out. Heck any thing you guys wanna say would be welcome. Give me your theories! Your fears! Your opinions! Heck, strike up a conversation about One Piece or Ninjago for crying out loud! **

**Although you guys have been awesome so far. Seriously. It means the world.**

**I'm off, I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	3. Chapter 2:Concerning the boy in the

**Chapter 2: Concerning The Boy in the Closet**

**Disclaimer: All I own is a notebook. Lego owns the rest. Any and all anime references are just that- references.**

**Victoria**

**Day: 1**

**Time: Approximately Ten o' five in the morning.**

**Hours since disappearance: 7...ish**

Her first thought was a doll, some strange toy that Lilly had stashed away. But it looked to real to be a toy. Her second, was a fugitive, or some drunk/drug addict that had snuck in through the window. But it looked too clean-cut to be a criminal. A fairy prince perhaps. Something magical like that, something not from this world. Except... it wasn't breathing. Its chest didn't rise, its mouth didn't tremble. Its skin was pale, almost sickly.

Her eyes widened, and the pile of laundry she had prepared to hang dropped onto the floor. "Oh god..." She whispered. "Dead." It certainly looked like it. Stone still the way it was. Although how a dead body stuffed itself in Victoria's closet was beyond her.

The corpse in question wasn't all that intimidating to be honest. Platinum hair that defied gravity, like the protagonist of a sci-fi anime. A lanky body-thin but strong, pinstripe pajamas fitting it like a glove. Although it was wrong to keep calling it an it when it was obviously a he, and a very attractive he at that. If he wasn't dead he'd be cute.

Except it was still a dead body. And it was still in her closet, tucked away like some old toy.

A part of her wanted to poke it, see if it moved. Another part wanted her to check its pulse. The third, said to run. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't. The soles of her socks seemed glued to the carpet.

It was just then Victoria noticed the tag tied around its left toe. She stared at it, her stomach turning._ 'That's how they label dead bodies in the morgue on right?'_ She looked closer. _'Ribbon? What the hell?'_ She was more than sure they used string- not curled white and blue plastic ribbon.

Covering her hand with the tip of a tee-shirt, she dragged the whole foot towards her. She felt sick to her stomach at this point; it took all of Victoria's energy not to gag._ 'Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Did it twitch? Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.'_ She leaned it, and turned it around, thinking she'd need to squint.

But Victoria didn't need to.

In curly, loopy handwriting was the following message:

_Happy Birthday Victoria!_

_XOXOXOXO_

_-love your Best Cousin Lilly._

_PS. Don't forget to feed him._

"What the hell?" She whispered, her body suddenly as cold as the dead body. "What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?"

_'Who gives someone a dead body for their birthday?" _A part of her asked, but she was shivering too much to give it much thought.

_'Maybe he's not dead. Maybe he's drugged.'_ Victoria scrambled closer, and dragged the rest of him out careful not to bump his head. She checked for a pulse the best she could.

Nothing.

His skin was cold enough to put ice to shame.

Victoria swore. She poked him in the cheek- not once but twice. Then, in a rare act of desperation, she leaned over him and started shaking him. "Wake up, wake up, wake up, please oh please wake up!"

At first there was nothing.

Then a light humming- the sound of a computer whirring to life. Color flooded his face, although his body was still as cold as ever. And then his eyes flashed open, an icy blue, like winter itself. He sat up, and she scrambled away, staring at him with white eyes.

"Who are you? Where am I?" He said. His voice was soft, with an accent she couldn't place. There was a part of her that recognized it, swore she had heard it before. If only she knew...

"You're supposed to be dead." Victoria whispered. She inched away from him, reaching into the closet for something. Anything. And then she remembered.

There was a baseball bat in the corner, a relic of a temporary third grade dream of a sports star. Why Victoria had even kept it all those years was beyond her. Only a memory she supposed. But it was metal, and hurt like hell if you swung it. The perfect weapon.

She reached for it, just as the boy began to speak. "Where are the others? Kai? Cole?"

Victoria's heart skipped a beat, a bolt of energy racing through her._ 'There's no way... that's just a cartoon.'_ Her grip tightening on the bat's handle, she said "That's impossible. You- you're impossible."

"What's impossible?" He- no Zane asked. "Do you know them?"

Victoria shook her head, not sure if it was a 'yes' or a 'no'. Her throat seemed closed off, but she managed to cough out something. "Li-lilly." She swallowed and tried again, a little louder. "Lilly?"

"Oh. I've seen you found him." It sounded like her cousin, but... not quite. Something was off. Something was very wrong.

"Found him!" She screeched.

Zane blinked. "Found who?"

Victoria looked away, turning towards Lilly. She looked like a zombie; her hair a tangled mass, her eyes bloodshot and tinged with purple. "Did you kidnap him?" She whispered.

"In a way." Lilly said calmly. "He came willingly enough."

There was a click. And then even more monotone then normal, Zane said, "I did."

"How?" Victoria asked, her voice both high and squeaky.

"Why?" Lilly said, cocking her head. A tangle of red curls fell in front of her face. She didn't bother whipping them away. "Do you not like him?"

She stared at her, forgetting how to move her mouth. "Why would I...why would you...like him? It's... it's...just... Lilly?"

Lilly straightened, and for a second her eyes flashed purple. "You don't like your birthday present?" She asked, her voice dangerously low. "After all we'd done for you?"

'_We?'_ She thought. _'Who is this 'we_''

Lilly didn't bother letting Victoria answer. It was as if something clicked. "He said you'd do this." She said, her smile dropping. "Betray me."

"What are you- Lilly?" Victoria stood up shakily, gripping the bat like a weapon.

No reply.

Zane spun, a tornado of white. The room suddenly turned cold and he stopped, decked out in white. The elemental sword was in his, gleaming treacherously. His eyes flashed lavender.

"Lilly?" She tried again, a little softer.

'_That's not her. Get out of there.'_

Lilly smiled serenely. "Don't worry Victoria. He said I could spare you if I want." She said. "But you'd better run."

Victoria stared. It took a few minutes for that to actually sink in. She stared at Lilly, blinking away the tears that formed in her eyes, unable to move. "What?" She whispered.

"I told you to run." Lilly said, her eyes flashing and lips curling in to a Cheshire Cat smile.

Victoria bobbed her head, and slipped on a pair of shoes. Her fingers fumbled too much to properly tie the laces, so she just tucked them in the sides. "Oh. Okay." She whispered.

Her feet shuffled herself out of the room and into the hall, well aware of the two pairs of eyes glaring. Before she knew it she was in the garage, buckling a helmet and sitting on a bike. peddling. Peddling away from there.

_'That's your house, you can't be kicked out of your own house.'_. A part of her whispered. She peddled harder into the street.

_'She needs help. She's possessed, or under the influence... Victoria do something!'_

She turned left, out of the neighborhood. Where she was going was beyond her. As long as it was away...That was all that mattered.

_'And what about Zane?'_ She almost slammed on the breaks, crashing into a tree in the process. Victoria got up, and pulled the bike up. She couldn't hold onto the baseball bat and the handle at the same time. There wasn't a point. She could do without a bike.

_'What about him?'_ She was running now, helmet tossed aside.

_'Aren't you worried?'_

_'Out of my control.'_ She thought and kept running, ignoring the pang of guilt as she did so. She passed her highschool, and she kept going. Sweat had started to drip down her neck, coating her armpits as well. She was panting like crazy as well, wheezing. Gasping for breath.

She stood there, panting on the gravel where road met grass and grass met ditch, bending over. Her lungs were on fire. Slowly Victoria stood back up, catching her breath one gasp at a time. The sun beat out mercilessly. She hadn't realized it was this hot earlier. What had she been thinking?

_'You wanted to live, Victoria.'_

_'Pretty much.'_

Her eyes followed the line of the ditch, through stagnant water and litter. Nothing special about it. Nothing out of the ordinary.

And then she saw them. Three lumps, curled up into balls.

Red.

Blue.

Black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Rather short, I know. I originally wanted each chapter to be around 2,000 words, but it's looking more like 1,500. Which isn't that bad, right?**

**Ehhhhh...**

**Current plan, alternating chapters. Kai, Victoria, Kai, Victoria. I'm trying not to make it too OC centered, but when your OC's are (currently) the antagonist and her cousin, you take what you can get. So next chapter is a Kai one. I'm looking forward to writing it.**

**Also, I swear I don't swear as much as some of my characters do. It really depends on the point of view to be honest. I won't let Kai curse. Ninjago is still a 'kids show' I suppose. It's alright if he does, to each writer their own but... I'm over thinking things.**

**See yah later, you guys are awesome.**


	4. Chapter 3: Concerning The Girl Who

**Chapter 3: Concerning The Girl Who Hesitated.**

**Disclaimer: All I own is a notebook. Lego owns the rest. Any and all anime references are just that- references. (Although there are none in this chapter.)**

**Kai**

**Day: 1**

**Time: Noon.**

**Hours since disappearance: 9...ish**

_Leaping into purple._

_His eyes squeezed shut._

_Slamming to the ground, gravel tearing about at his skin._

_Pain._

_Eyes still smashed together._

_Then... curiosity._

_curiosity fighting._

_curiosity winning._

_Begging him._

_Pleading._

_"Kai! Wake up!"_

_There's the rather annoying feeling of being thrashed._

_Shaking._

_curiosity pleading even harder._

_He can't._

_Not yet._

_He doesn't want to._

_"Wake up! Please!"_

_Why?_

_So reality can come running back?_

_Hit him in the chest like a round house kick?_

_Or a serpentine general's sweeping tail?_

_"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck! Come on! Kai? Jay? Cole? Anyone?"_

_His eyes betray him._

_They fluttered._

_Slowly pealed apart._

_He can't help it._

_He wants to see._

_He wants to find his brother._

_And at last his eyes tear open..._

...

"Wha?" He blinked, eyes twitching.

Two what could only be described as eyes peered back at him, buggy and blinking. Tears spilled over the edges, and red stained the corners of white. White and green and red and black. Eyes weren't supposed to be like that. The face it was smashed on was all circles. It was round, and lumpy and red, tears running down it in torrents. When it sniffed and cracked into a smile, it shifted; the strange (nose perhaps?) Thing in the center twitching. A worm-fingered hand wiped snot away from it.

The creature broke into a smile. "You- you're a-a-awake!" It choked out. The voice- although scratchy from crying-was female. It was a she. "I'm so glad!"

This couldn't be real.

And yet...

Hadn't he read that somewhere before?

'_Most often taking the form of swirling color, portals are gateways to places not accessable by normal everyday needs. These gateways occur very rarely in nature, usually when the very essence of time and space is torn and or ripped. Overexposer to portals can cause nausea, hallucinations, fainting, confusion, the tendency to act as though you've consumed mass amounts of alcoholic beverages, the temporary belief that you are a duck, the temporary transformation into a duck, amnesia, strange cravings involving frosting covered ham, mood swings, and rarely (but not in all cases) being put into a coma.'_

A shock ran through him, like a run in with Jay's Nuchucks. His eyes widened and he scrambled away.

The creature leaned in closer, red hair spilling over her face. "Kai?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

He said nothing at first. His tongue fumbled over the words, his hand reaching around for the hilt of his sword. The only thing Kai's fingers brushed was air.

She stared back, her eyes wide and unblinking. Monstrous almost. Most certainly hopefull.

They shocked him back into reality.

"Hallucination!" Kai gasped.

The girl crawled back. "What?" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"You-you aren't real. Venomari Venom. Portal radiation. Zuh-zuh-zane!" Finally. He found it. "Where is he?"

She said nothing, but the shock was there. Hallucination-deformed as they were, he could still read the shock on her face. "Kai?"

"Where is he?" He asked, his voice dangerously low. "Where's Zane!"

For a second, he saw fear in those abnormal eyes of hers. But only for a second. "I...I don't know what you mean." She said.

_'You hesitated.'_ He thought. "You're lying."

The girl bit her lip. "Well..."She said, her voice trailing off. "I mean I have an idea but..."

'But what? And what about Jay? And Cole?'

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"I-" She paused. He could see the wheels turning in her head. "I heard some...some noises and... and this person I know has been..."

"Spit it out."

A finger tracing her leg, she said, "acting strange lately."

_'I don't believe her for a second! What in Sensei's magic teapot is she hiding!'_

"How?" He asked.

"She just is." The girl said.

"Kai?"

His eyes widened, and he broke into a grin. "Cole!"

He whirled around, his hopes falling. "You're like her." He whispered. "A hallucination."

If the girl was all circles, he was all squares. Muscles stretched cloth, a rectangular face tan and hard under a mass of black hair, and thick bushy eyebrows that defied gravity even more than Zane's hair did.

Zane...

"Kai?" The fake-Cole said. He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "Is that... you?"

"Yeah..." Kai said. "What about you?"

Cole nodded. "Yeah..."

The girl stared at them both with wide eyes, giggling softly to herself.

"This isn't funny." He snapped, and she shut up. The girl sniffled, like she was about to cry. Kai sighed."What?"

"N-nothing." She whispered. "I-I'm just received you guh-guh-guys are okay."

He was hit with a wave of guilt, but brushed it off. Cole stared at him, frowning. "What?" He protested defensively.

Next to him, something twitched.

Then twitched again.

"I can't see! I'm blind! I'm bli-oh. I'm facedown on the ground. How'd that happen? Heh." A voice chuckled.

He exchanged glances with Cole. "Is that-"

"I... I think so."

The lump rolled over. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. The face it belonged to was round, and (as far as he could tell) covered in freckles. Electric blue eyes smiled through a thick layer of mud, and red hair.

"Jay?" The girl asked. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

'You have no right to ask that.' He thought bitterly, but kept his words to himself. With Kai's luck she'd start bawling again. He hated it when girls cried. Especially when they were only using the action to get what they want.

"He's fine." Kai said sharply. "Now can you take us to Zane already?"

The girl nodded. "Ye-yeah."

Cole stared at her, then at him. "She knows where Zane is?" He asked.

"She'd better." He said. Almost a threat.

"I don't know for sure-"The girl began.

"Then find out!" He shouted.

"Kai!" Cole said. "Calm down."

"I am calm!"

There was silence.

And then..."Kai! Cole! What's wrong with you guys? You look weird! Who's she? What's wrong with my hands?"

They stared at Jay, who in turn looked at them in pure horror. "You too?" Cole asked.

'We can't all be suffering from the same hallucination. What if...no. That's impossible.'

But a part of him knew.

"It's 'cause you guys aren't minifig's anymore." The girl said softly. "You aren't used to it."

"Mini...what?" Kai asked, and in his confusion forgot to scowl.

She looked almost startled to hear his voice. She sniffled, and said a little louder."Minifig. It-It's short for minifigure." She paused, as if waiting for them to understand. Then, taking Kai's blank stare for an answer, kept talking. "It's what we call...people in...your world."

"Our world? You mean Ninjago?" Cole asked.

The girl nodded. "Mmhm! Minifigs. Lego people."

Lego. The word seemed like it should be more familiar then it was. It gave him the strongest sense of déjà vu he'd ever experienced, the world suddenly seeming to spin beneath his feet. He frowned,and said it out loud, weighing on his tongue. Much heavier than he'd thought it be.

"Well then what are you?" Jay asked.

"Human." The girl said simply. "I'm just human."

_'I thought I was that too.'_ Kai thought, and frowned even harder. "Wait a second. How do you know all this?"

She opened her mouth, then paused. Hesitating like before. "Stuh-stories!" She said, but her giggle fell flat.

Once again he clamped his mouth shut. Suspicious figure or not, she still knew more about this strange world then he did.

"I didn't catch your name." He said, through gritted teeth._ 'Although you seem to know ours...'_

"Victoria." She said, and smiled. "Victoria Neary."

Another awkward silence.

"Should we..." He started. They nodded.

"Yeah, I think you're right."

He grabbed his sword and stood up. '_Nya's bag! Don't forget the bag!'_ Panic began to set in as he scanned the grass. Nothing...nothing...there! He bent down, and scooped it up.

"What's that?" Jay asked.

Kai shrugged. "Nya gave it to me right before I left. I haven't gotten a chance to really see what it was..."

"Ooh, Open it!" Jay said.

"Alright." He said. There was not really a reason not to. He tugged on the ribbon and pulled it loose, the contents slack in his hand. "Powder?"

Jay shrugged. "Tea? Sniff it!"

He licked a finger, and dipped it into the powder. Then he took a deep whiff. "Traveller's Tea!"

_'Our ride home.' _He thought, then smiled.

_'Maybe this won't be as hard as I thought?'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN A bit later then I originally intended, but here all the same. I must say, I had a lot of fun with this chapter.**

**It's been a bit too slow however. Maybe next chapter I can pick up the pace...**


	5. Chapter 4: Concerning the Angst of

**Chapter Four: Concerning the Angst of Seeing Angst**

**Disclaimer: All I own is a notebook. Lego owns the rest. Any and all anime references are just that- references. (Although there are none in this chapter.)**

**Victoria**

**Day: 1**

**Time: Noon...ish**

**Hours since disappearance: 9...ish**

_'I wish you didn't hate me.'_ Victoria thought, and snuck another look at Kai. His eyes stared straight ahead, his face seemingly twisted into a permanent scowl. Other then that, he was really not that bad looking. All angles, and sharp edges;like a piece of broken glass. Then again... (her cheeks were turning quite red at this point) they all were rather good looking. Like something out of an anime. She didn't think guys like that existed in real life.

_'There's no point in getting all exited. I mean seriously, there are so many things wrong with this it isn't even funny. Look at the way that bastard glares. You know he's on to you-right?'_

She bit the inside of her cheek, tasting blood. It was a disgusting habit and she knew it but she couldn't help it.

_'It's for their own good_.' Victoria thought. _'They'd flip out if they knew the truth.'_

_'What. That they're not real? Or that you know where Zane is? Do you really think they'll forgive you after a betrayal that bad?'_

_'Well...'_ She sniffled.

Cole paused, looked at her. "Hey... you okay?"

She nodded._'Damn you're an awesome character. You guys all are. Way better then I could ever imagined. I wish I could tell you how absolutely amazing it is that I get to meet you.'_

_'But you can't.'_

The words stung, making her want to cry even more then before. She hated it, hated that she was being so weak, so fucking stereotypical. She hated the way it made her look, all blotchy faced and red nosed. How it clawed at her words, turning them into half-baked stuttering messes. She'd seen anime where the main character would cry, their tears spilling down their faces, sparkling for pete's sake. Why couldn't she cry like that?

'_Because anime isn't real. Because cartoons and novels and movies aren't real either. That's not how life works Victoria, and you know it. The sooner you suck it up the better.'_

But Ninjago was real. The proof was right before her puffy eyes, walking and talking; living and breathing. Hell, if she wanted to, she could even touch them. This was a dream come true for her. She'd written fanfiction based off of things like this.

'_That was a while ago. You said you moved on.'_

_'I did. That's the problem.'_

She swallowed, recognizing the turn up ahead. "It's not that far." She said.

"And where are we going exactly?" Kai asked, her words dripping with sarcasm. She frowned.

_'Oh shut up. Like I want to deal with you right now. I don't give a fuck how focused you are on finding Zane. Being a hotheaded ninja of fire doesn't give you the excuse to be an idiot. Honestly. You think your day is bad? Try waking up only to be kicked out of your own house by your frikkan cousin! Oh-wait- not to mention she just kidnapped someone from something that shouldn't even frikkan exist, and she might be possessed and-'_

She took a deep breath.

Victoria wanted so far to say all of this to his face, to shout and shout until she was gasping for air. Until her throat was raw from screaming and she could no longer speak. He'd look at her with horror, with sympathy. His ears would be bleeding too, dripping blood slowly down his already red suit.

And he'd apologize. Stop being so rude, and maybe shut his mouth. Their positions would be swapped, instead of Victoria watching her words, it would be him.

This was why he was her least favorite ninja.

Okay that was a lie.

But he didn't need to know that.

"It's just a little further." She said, a bit harsher then she originally intended. Victoria sighed. "I... I mean it's just past this turn."

Kai scoffed. Her fists clenched. Her eyebrow twitched._ 'I didn't mind so much when you were like this on T.V., but now that I know you in person? Could you be any less of a pain in the neck.'_

A part of her wished it was Kai that was now missing instead of Zane. Then things would be different. Better.

She passed the bike she'd abandoned, and had half a mind to retrieve it. But it would be pretty hard to ride with a bat in her...

'_Damn.'_ She stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it?" Cole asked.

"It's... it's nothing." She said. 'I'll get it later.'

If she squinted, she could make out the roof of her house. It sent chills down her spine, and a sour feeling settled in her stomach. It crawled up through her body, slowly making it's way to her heart. At first she had no idea what it was and she had no desire to figure out what,but the closer she got the more apparent it was what it was.

Dread. The feeling was dread. She'd felt it before, true but never this strong. Never this malevolent. And she shuddered just thinking about it.

They turned again. Jay was chatting about something light, making another quip or pun. Typical of him really. She laughed half-heartedly along, earning herself a glare or two from the ninja of all things angst himself; Kai.

She saw her driveway, and her house itself. If Victoria didn't know better, she'd think that there was nothing wrong, that she'd open it up and see Lilly sprawled on the couch watching episodes of old anime she'd collected on dvd. There'd be a bowl of popcorn in her lap, and she'd toss Victoria a piece and...

No.

That was a lie. That was a lie and she knew it.

Although each step killed her, she kept walking.

Her heart hammered in her chest.

A thin line of sweat dripped down her neck.

"We're here." She whispered.

"This is it? It's just a house..." Jay said.

"I don't like it..." Cole said softly.

_'Neither do I.'_ She swallowed, and bit her lip again. "Lilly?"

Nothing.

She took a deep breath, run the doorbell, and tried again a little louder. "Lilly?"

"Who's Lilly?" Jay asked, but she ignored him, resisting the urge to shush him in the process.

_'Maybe if I'm lucky, she isn't home.'_

"This is getting ridiculous." Kai muttered,and she ignored him too.

Victoria peered through the window, looking for any signs of life in the foyer. Nothing. She half expected to see Lilly staring back at her, eyes redshot and wide, perhaps even glowing purple. Just thinking about it made the dread in her gut quiver.

"Let's try breaking in." She said. Kai raised his foot as if to smash the door in, and she shoved him off balance.

"Hey!"

"I didn't mean it like that." She muttered, casting a worried look at the door. "Let's try around back."

She crossed the lawn gingerly, avoiding the mud when she could and making sure not to touch the toadstools. It was an old superstition her grandmother had pounded into her, a reminder that although it might not be clear at the time, there was still magic in this world and messing with it caused more problems then it fixed.

_'Sorta like now.'_ She thought, and shivered.

The fence was locked with a thick padlock, the kind the school gave you for lockers. She'd long since forgotten the combination, and had no desire to figure it out at the moment. Especially with Kai leering over her shoulder. So she grabbed the top of the fence (although at this point she was wishing it was metal instead of wooden) and hauled herself over, flopping over the side.

To say the landing was graceful would have been a lie.

She couldn't help but frown, and brush the large flop of mud splattered hair out of her face after the ninja leaped over it with ease. A certain swear word popped into mind just thinking about it.

A black gloved hand reached out, and she took it gratefully. "Thanks." She said.

"No problem."

She kept walking. "I'm pretty sure that Zane's in here." She said. "There's probably a girl too. I'd like it if she ended up in one piece but..."

_'Stop it. Stop it right now.'_

_'What? Why?'_

_'You've revealed too much. They're gonna connect the dots, put two and two together. Pick your cliché. It doesn't matter, the results will still be the same. They're gonna hate you, gonna mix you in with her.'_

A shiver ran through her, and she bit her cheek. Tasting blood again. "No..."

"Did you say something?" Kai asked.

Victoria shook her head. "No." She said softly. _'Atleast not outloud-right?'_

She stepped gingerly around some mushrooms, wet grass sticking to the sides of her shoes. "Lilly?" She said, on the off chance that her cousin might be out, and willing to cooperate.

Still nothing. There was no point getting excited over nothing. Even she knew that.

She found the backdoor and jiggled the handle. Unlocked. She wasn't sure she should be relieved or not. She opened it, and slipped inside. The ninja followed.

The house was pitch black, the only light streaming in from the door she'd just opened. Victoria stepped to the side, almost tripping over a chair leg in the promise. She had half a mind to close the door, but something told her not to.

"Lilly?" She called, a little quiet at first. "Zane?"

Nothing. What did she expect? A fucking welcome party? It was darker then dark, and if her experience with the chair was anything to go by, a complete mess. She scowled.

_'At least I'm not alone.'_ She thought, a chill running down her back. She wasn't though, right? They were in front of her, any second Kai would say something angsty and obnoxious or Jay would crack a joke or or...

"Guys?" She called, her voice cracking. "Are you here?"

Not even a whisper.

Come to think about it, when had she last heard their footsteps? When had she last seen their silhouettes? When had... when had...

_'Stop it. You're psyching yourself out. They're probably not that far off, could even be right in front of you too. And they're ninja right? No wonder you can't see them. I wouldn't expect you to.'_

Victoria took a deep breath. "Alright. I can do this. I can find Lilly, find Zane and fix this... this whole mess."

The dread in her stomach twisted and turned, but she ignored it. She took one careful step forward, then another and another. Her heart pounded out SOS messages in her chest, her breaths became shallow.

"Lilly? Zane?"

Why did she even bother at this point?

"Guys? Anyone?"

Because it gave her hope.

"Lilly! I know you're here."

The thin trail of light she used to navigate vanished in one swoop. The door clicked behind her. Victoria turned around, her fists balled. "Come on out. I-I dare you."she shouted.

Except no one takes threats seriously unless you can back it up.

There wasn't even time to scream.

She was wrestled back, her hands twisted behind her, tied. She focused every bit of willpower she had to escape, thrashing and kicking. For a second, she could swear her bonds loosened, that she'd succeeded but that hope vanished as they pulled tighter. She felt a thin trickle of blood run down her wrists, the cuffs cutting into her skin. They were metal and jagged, every movement she made causing pain.

Someone shoved her towards them, her barely adjusted eyes just able to make out the silhouette of a teenage girl...

_'No...'_

"Thank you Victoria. The purple man is pleased with you, and pleased with me. I was right to spare you. Now he'll reward us both." Lilly hissed into her ear, spilling thick morning breath into her nostrils. She wanted to gag, to kick her in the shin. To escape.

But how can she? The ninja are gone. Hell, she's tied up, betrayed by her closest cousin the second time in a row, all in the same day. And all Victoria wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die.

She doesn't even struggle as Lilly wrapped the cloth around her nose. She breathed in all of the sickly sweetness, allowing it to clog up her mind. Everything was so... so... fuzzy.

When Kai came bounding out of nowhere all ablaze, she barely gave it much thought. When he grabbed her hand and hissed "I want answers." She didn't even blink.

She'd given up, got what she wanted. And now, her eyelids were sinking. Closing.

And although purple swirled around her, she didn't bother to be shocked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN This chapter ends the first part, which I have so creatively dubbed 'Missing'.**

**This means that the next chapter posted will be 'Prologue the Second' and the official start to the second part: Banished, which will involve Kai and Victoria as they try to get back to earth and find Zane. It also means (Yay!) That the plot will (finally) start to pick up.**

**I actually wrote this around Sunday or Monday, taking full advantage of the wonderful invention of the Teacher Work Day. Usually I'd post it right after I wrote it-after a quick edit through of course.**

**Except there's this rather annoying rule I have about only posting once a week so I don't have idea diarrhea followed by writer's block messing up my consistency. It's also because this November I will be taking part in the life-eater-upper known as NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month) In this soul eating mess of misspelled words one writes a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. Now-don't exit out yet. That's only 1667 words a day, which seems like much at fist but really isn't that bad. Except by pledging to take part in this event I will not be able to write anything other then my NaNo novel (Castrovi's Casket. I won't give away the plot, except it involves necromancers, changelings, and vanilla-scented undead. XD). So I want to get as ahead as I can with chapters so you guys have something to read during November.**

**I'd very much like it if you guys could support me on this, even if it means putting up with slower updates. Please feel free to sign up for NaNoWriMo yourself, and please if you make an account(or have one already), pm or post your username so I can add you as a writing buddy.**


	6. Prologue the Second

**Prologue II**

**Disclaimer: All I own is a notebook. Lego owns the rest. Any and all anime references are just that- references.**

_"Thank you Victoria. The purple man is pleased with you, and pleased with me. I was right to spare you. Now he'll reward us both." Lilly whispers, and holds Victoria close. She can hear her cousin's heart pounding in her chest, she can feel her warm body struggling in her grasp. And Lilly can't help but smile wide as she digs in her pocket for the chloroform dishcloth The Purple Man prepared for her._

'Stop it. This isn't right.'

'The only thing right is The Purple Man,and this is his will. Don't stop. Don't ever stop.' And that's that. The matter is settled.

_Victoria falls limp in her arms. Her eyelids flutter. Lilly's smile grows, and she strokes her cousin's hair, twirling a lock with her finger. "Sleep." She croons, soft enough that she knows Victoria won't hear._

_Lilly is wrenched back, Victoria torn from her grasp. She can only gape, scrambling up onto her feet as the red one meets her gaze. Fearful fire, fantastic fire. He recognizes her, she can see it in his eyes. Hatred sparks. The feeling is mutual. That bastard has no right to grab Victoria's hand like that. No reason to take her away._

_"I want answers." He growls._

_Her lips curl into a snarl. "I want you dead." She says, and fumbles around for a knife. "But I'll settle for you serving my master. He's already got your brothers, blue and black and white. Only a matter of-" And she's cut off. Just...like...that._

_He's gone. She's gone. They're gone. There's a flash of powder, flicker of a portal, and poof. Going, going, going,gone. And the knife in her hand clang-crashes to the floor._

_She sinks to the floor. "I- I-"_

_"Lilly."_

_"Are you mad?" She whispers. A shiver passes through her. She can't help it. It's the effect he has on her._

_"No. Just disappointed." The Purple Man says._

_A jolt runs through her. "I'm sorry. I had a chance and I- I..." Lilly's voice trails off. She suppresses a sniffle._

_There's the distinctly warm feeling of someone wrapping their arms around her. "You tried Lilly."_

_"But..."_

_"But you have three. And the forth and fifth won't be too hard to find-will they?" His voice is slippery-soft in her ear, slithering it's way into her heart. She smiles slightly._

_"Fifth?" She asks, suddenly sitting up._

_"My Grand-green. The green one I spoke of. Do you remember him, Lilly?" He pulls her closer, and smooths her hair the way her mother used to when she was younger._

_Lilly snuggles back into her arms. "Luh-luh-luh... Something like that." She mutters. "Leonard?"_

_"Try again. I'd like it if you knew all of their names, but this is a start." More Hair smoothing._

_"Lloyd?" She asks._

_"Yes. And the other is called 'Kai'." He says. "You captured the robot 'Zane'. The other two are 'Jay' and 'Cole' respectively. It would be wise for you to know their names."_

_She frowns. "How will we find... Kai? He's gone right? It won't matter what his name is if I can't..."_

_"Don't worry about it. Leave it to me. Just give me time."_

_"Time for what?" She asks._

_"Shhhhh... time to get the-your team ready. Organic flesh and bone is so difficult to tamper. I prefer a good machine or clockwork creation any day. But that's another matter." He whispers._

_"I want to... I have to... please..." She mutters. Her eyes are thick. Drooping._

_You could almost say closing._

'Stop it. What are you doing? You hate this-being babied and hugged close, hell you hate adults even touching you. Seriously. This isn't you. I thought I was better then that. You're becoming Victoria.'

_Her eyes pop open. "I am not!"_

_The Man in The Purple suit pulls her close, and strokes her hair. "Oh?"_

'You are. You're just like her-crying over every little thing. I mean, I love her just as much as you but come on! The girl couldn't even finish SAO, let alone Clannad without bursting out into boo hoo tears. Don't you remember? You marathoned both of those together, then had a race to see who could watch FMA and FMA Brotherhood fast enough. Do you remember when she kept calling you at three AM, sobbing and spoiling like half the plot? And how you had to resist the urge to bitch-slap her into oblivion? Well?'

_"You take that back!" She pushes away, seething and boiling. "You fucking take that back! I am not. I-I never will be, I never am. So shut the hell up!"_

_The stroking ceases. "Lilly? Are you alright? Is something bothering you?" The Purple Man asks. She crawls away from him, fumbling for her knife._

_"I-I'm fine." She gasps, and wraps her hand around the handle. "I'm just fucking peachy." Peachy. Like peaches and... and... cream. Smooth and silky. Like the sound of his voice. Soft._

'Don't lie to yourself, Lilly. Next you'll start writing angsty poetry, and sobbing into pillows.' _Her own thoughts. Turning against her._

_"Stop it!"_

'Dear diary,my soul is like the deep void of space: empty and alone. All I want is for Purple Suit Senpai to notice me. And then-'

_Before she knows it, she's dropped the knife, and shoved her fingers into her ears. "La-la-la I can't hear you!"_

'-He and I can finally get married on a beach in Ninjago. But Senpai will never notice me, until I die my hair the color of my crushed and broken heart and paint my face the color of orphan tears.'

_"Get out of my head!" She shouts, hot tears pouring from her eyes. "Get the fuck out of my head."_

'I'm not the one you should ask to leave.'

_"Lilly!" The Purple Man's presence seems to multiply, bouncing off of her, off of the wall. The fog that she's welcomed into her mind pushes back into her head full force._

'He'll betray-'

_But she cut's herself off. "I want to leave now." Each word hurts. Her throat is raw; painful. Like a thin knife is raking it's way through her body, carving designs in her skin. Hoarse too. Frog in her throat, yeah that's what it's called._

_"Are you sure?" The Purple Man sounds pleased. Like he already knows the answer._

_"Yes. Prepare The portal. Prepare...Zane. And... Jay and... Cole."_

'I'm coming for you, Kai.'


End file.
